Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley Explains Why The Rise Of Skywalker Was Her Favorite To Film

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Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, it's been a great time to be a Star Wars fan. The galaxy far, far away has never been closer, as the House of Mouse has churned out tons of exciting movies. Chief among them is the sequel trilogy, which will come to an end with J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker. There's a ton of pressure for that blockbuster to deliver, but it turns out that Rey actress Daisy Ridley had her favorite time on set while working on Episode IX.

In addition to ending the current trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the additional stakes of wrapping up the entire nine-film Skywalker Saga. Fans are eager to see what J.J. Abrams has in store, and the various plot twists that will no doubt be featured throughout the movie's runtime. Episode IX will be Daisy Ridley's final appearance as Rey, and it turns out it was her favorite. As she explained:

It’s the first time I’ve filmed more confident because I feel like there was nothing else I could’ve done. The third one for me was the best. It’s a big film for everyone. I did all of the emotions: I did frowns, I did smiles, it was the sort of biggest breadth, and I think that’s also why I had such a good time, because I got to do so much shit – like, physically, emotionally – and I got to work with so many people.

Well, that's certainly a good sign. Daisy Ridley has been the clear hero of the current sequel, so she's worked on plenty of meaty scenes. But it looks like she was given more confidence in The Rise of Skywalker, and enjoyed being able to have more scene partners as well.

Daisy Ridley's comments to Marie Claire are sure to excite the generations of Star Wars fans out there. Because if the creation of The Rise of Skywalker was so enjoyable for the actress, that may speak to the quality of the upcoming blockbuster. Or perhaps Ridley's performance will be particularly powerful, as she was less nervous and able to enjoy the peaks and valleys of her signature character.

Given how big of character Rey has been in the sequel trilogy, we should expect big things from Daisy Ridley in The Rise of Skywalker. While John Boyega recently revealed that he fought for more Finn screen time, Rey should be at the center of the movie's main conflict. With Luke gone, she's the Jedi that The Resistance will look to for hope. She's also got a deep connection with Kylo Ren, whose morality and fate will finally be decided in the upcoming blockbuster.

Luckily, all of our questions should be answered shortly, as The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters in a little over a month. In the meantime, you can catch up on the Skywalker Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20th, answering all of our questions in the process. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies. And our 2020 release list to look forward to the New Year.

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Double majored in theater and literature during undergrad. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his famous actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid.